The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-18
QUESTIONING The MINISTRY.
Irish Tenant Unions Compared
with Trades Unions.
Lively Debate In the house OF commo,s-rh. Par.
ns'iites and their Allies Push the Gov
eminent Hard.

|
quiry all proceedings relating to public
feeling or agrarian movements. includ
ing combinations To obtain reductions o
rent. He said that if the Government
We're content to direct inquiries au
thorized under the bill To such offense,
as murder, arson, "moonlighting' and
mutilation of cattle, the bill might
pass. The bill would then deal
with actual crimes, it would not be a
measure creating offenses. In rs present
form the bill might apply to matters
never before recognized as elements of
determination. Those ought not to al
low the measure to pass for the purpose
of repressing crime, which really had
another object. What was the Govern
ments intentions Did they pro-
pose to suppress combination against
landlords. Was breach of contract TO
be made a criminal offense? Would the
Government give to the Irish tenants the
same assurances of protection as was
given to laborers in England! [Cheers. !
Would they make it clear that
a tenants right of combining with
regard to land the cultivation of which
was their industry, would be placed
upon the same footing with the rights of
English workmen with regard to their
labor! If there was land trades union
In Ireland, would the bill suppress IL.
| lCheers. IL SO, on what ground did the
Government distinguish between an Irish
trades-union and an English trades
union? [Cheers.
Mr.. 8alfour, Chief Secretary for Ire
land, held that the oftenses embraced
in the measure had been sufficiently de-
fined, and that the amendment, il
adopted, would simply render the
bill futile, leaving out nearly
| all agrarian offences. He said
that the comparison of a trades-union
with an Irish conspiracy to pay no rent
was obviously absurd. The law of con-
spiracy regarding wages had distinct
history from what was now occurring
in Ireland. The bill dealt with con-
spiracy to defraud landlords, with a
conspiracy TO prevent the free
exercise of private and public rights i'm
matters of trade and other forms of boy
cotting. As to the suggestion that the
bill would be allowed to progress if the
Government conceded the amendment
he would distinctly intimate that the
Government would not yield to obstruc-
tion anything they refused to argument.
Cheers.
Mr.. Dillon contended that unless the
amendments were accepted the Govern
ment would be able to imprison every
lady who might be politically obnoxious.
Landlords who had not received their
rents might swear out an information
of conspiracy, causing all sorts of per-
sons to be brought up for bogus inquiry.
If they refused to answer questions such
persons might be imprisoned as long as
the Government chose. [Cries of hear,
hear."1
Mr.. Gladstone said he regretted that
the justice of granting the Irish tenant
the same protection they afforded the
English workmen. As to boycotting,
the Government must explain what was
meant by that term. Was intimidation
included or only boycotting leading to
exclusive dealing? c'Hear, Hear,'D
When Mr.. Belfour said the Government
refused to yield to obstruction the OPP
positions response was that they had
right to refuse to yield to tyranny,
(Cheers.)
Sir r. E. Webster, Attorney General,
asked whether it could be seriously con-
tended that there was any real analogy
between the case of the British work
man and that of the Irish tenant! There
was a wide distinction between an hon
\ est combination of tenants who were
trying to get landlords to reduce rents
/ and a combination among these who
could pay, but who were bringing out
side association to assist them i'm evad-
ing the payment of what was
due. Cries of "Hear Hear.) The
bill solely aimed at dealing with a Grim
inal conspiracy. 1t was impossible to
give that exact definition of boycotting
which Mr.. Gladstone demanded. 1t
would surpass the wit of man to define
what the developments Of boycotting
might be, but they knew the offence and
there was no danger that injustice would
be done. Supporting vice was at the
root of all these boycotting combina-
tions. Once an inquiry was begun into
any one form of boycotting, there was
no logical halting place; the inquiry
must be pursued until all forms of the
evil had been investigated. [Cheers.l
1T MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
Thomas O'COnnor said combinations Of
landlords to keep rack rents at the star
vation point would be permitted, while
combination of tenants to defeat extor-
ton would be made a criminal offence.
| (Cries of Hear. Hear.'D He asked IL
there was the slightest chance that the
measure would ever be used against a
combination of landlords.
| The amendmendment was negatived
by a vote of 242 to $50.
Mr.. Parnell will try to appear in the
House of Commons tomorrow afternoon.
He has been advised not to attend the
evening sitting.
DIssENIIOS AMONG UNIoNIsTs.
At a meeting the Liberal Unionist
Committee dissentions were disclosed
on the question Of change :of venue
and adoption in Ireland of the Scotch
jury system. A general conference OF
IN. VYv,s<.s.saxa sa ai.s,.rf 4, kse called